Are you praying? The apostle Paul exhorts us to “pray without ceasing” ( 1 Thess. 5:17 ). Encouraging Christians to put on“the whole armor of God,” ( Eph. 6:11-17 ), Paul further instructed them to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication” ( vs. 18 ). Jesus used an entire parable to emphasize “that men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Lk. 18:1-8 ). Obviously, prayer ought to be an integral part of a Christian’s life.

Are you praying? The apostle Paul exhorts us to “pray without ceasing” ( 1 Thess. 5:17 ). Encouraging Christians to put on “the whole armor of God,” ( Eph. 6:11-17 ), Paul further instructed them to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication” ( vs. 18 ). Jesus used an entire parable to emphasize “that men always ought to pray and not lose heart” ( Lk. 18:1-8 ). Obviously, prayer ought to be an integral part of a Christian’s life.

Just how important is it to be at services when the church meets? Now, at the beginning of a new year, is an especially good time to consider this question. As Christians, we need to always be examining ourselves to make sure that our lives reflect true faithfulness ( 2 Cor. 13:5 ). But many people are reflecting on their lives more seriously right now than they normally would do.

God’s word is “living and powerful” ( Heb. 4:12 ). God guides us and communicates His will to us through His word ( Ps. 119:105 ). The gospel message of salvation is revealed to us in God’s word ( Rom. 1:16 ). By reading His word we understand that it is through the gospel that we are actually called to salvation ( 2 Thess. 2:13-14 ). His word guides us as to how to live a faithful, productive Christian life after coming to salvation ( 2 Tim. 3:15-17 ). It is no wonder that God instructs us to diligently study His word in order to be able to correctly understand and apply it to our lives, and to stand approved before Him (2 Tim. 2:15 ).